Maxwell in Dundee Harbour

An iron three-masted full-rigged ship, the "Maxwell" was built in 1887 by T. Royden and Sons, Liverpool, for Johnston, Sproule and Co., also of Liverpool. She had a gross tonnage of 1856 and measured 269.1 feet in length.

Only one visit has been recorded for the "Maxwell" in Dundee. She arrived on 10th Junes 1890 from Calcutta with a cargo of 1800 tons of jute, having spent 147 days at sea.

The jute industry was Dundee's main source of income for over half a century. The cargo from the "Maxwell" was distributed by the agents D. Bruce and Co., among three of the largest companies of the time: Baxter Brothers, W Cleghorn and J A Guthrie.

Alexander Wilson who took this photograph, was a supervisor in a Dundee jute mill for over 20 years. He bequeathed much of his collection and £50, to cover the costs involved, to the Free Library Committee of Dundee in 1923.